##@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@##
@#@§=,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,=§@#@
@@##@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@##@@
@@§§§§†=,¨ ¨,=†§§§§@@
##§†=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=†§##
#§=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=§#
##@#@§†=,¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨,=†§@#@##
###@@§†=,¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨,=†§@@###
#@@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@@#
#@§§==,¨¨¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨¨¨,==§§@#
#§†,¨¨¨¨¨¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨¨¨¨¨¨,†§#
###§§§†=,¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨,=†§§§###
#@§§==¨¨¨¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨¨¨¨==§§@#
##@#@§†=,¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨,=†§@#@##
@@†===¨¨¨¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨¨¨¨===†@@
###@#§†=,¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨,=†§#@###
##@#@§†=,¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨,=†§@#@##
###@#@†=,¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨,=†@#@###
@#@§==,,¨¨ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¨¨,,==§@#@
@@@§††,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,††§@@@
#§§=,¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨,=§§#
##@#@§†=,¨ SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ¨,=†§@#@##
####@§†=,¨ PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ¨,=†§@####
####@§†=,¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ¨,=†§@####
##§=¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND =OUR= LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨=§##
#§§†==,¨¨¨ GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ¨¨¨,==†§§#
###@@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@@###
####@§†=,¨ AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ¨,=†§@####
##@#@§†=,¨ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨,=†§@#@##
#§§†††,¨¨¨ AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ¨¨¨,†††§§#
##@#@§†=,¨ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ¨,=†§@#@##
@@§†,¨¨¨¨¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨¨¨¨¨,†§@@
##§†=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=†§##
#@@#@§†=,¨ AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ¨,=†§@#@@#
#@@#@§†=,¨ (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ¨,=†§@#@@#
####@§†=,¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ¨,=†§@####
#@†=¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ¨¨¨¨¨¨=†@#
##§==,,¨¨¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ¨¨¨,,==§##
##@#@§†=,¨ DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ¨,=†§@#@##
@@##@§†=,¨ COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ¨,=†§@##@@
@@@†=¨¨¨¨¨ FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ¨¨¨¨¨=†@@@
##@#@§†=,¨ BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ¨,=†§@#@##
@@††==,¨¨¨ DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ¨¨¨,==††@@
@@##@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@##@@
###@§††=,¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨,=††§@###
###@@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@@###
@##@@§†=,¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨,=†§@@##@
@@@§†,,,¨¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨¨,,,†§@@@
##@§==,¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨,==§@##
@#§====,,¨ ¨,,====§#@
##@††,,,¨¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨¨,,,††@##
##@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨,=†§@#@##
##@††,¨¨¨¨ PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ¨¨¨¨,††@##
@#@†††,¨¨¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨¨¨,†††@#@
##@#@§†=,¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨,=†§@#@##
@@§§§§†=,¨ ¨,=†§§§§@@
@#§§==¨¨¨¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨¨¨==§§#@
@#§=¨¨¨¨¨¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨=§#@
#§§==¨¨¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨¨¨==§§#
##@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨,=†§@#@##
##@#@§†=,¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨,=†§@#@##
#@@@@§†=,¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨,=†§@@@@#
@##§=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=§##@
##§==,,¨¨¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨,,==§##
#@@†=¨¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨=†@@#
##@#@§†=,¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨,=†§@#@##
@#@§§==,¨¨ ¨¨,==§§@#@
#@#@§†,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,†§@#@#
##@#@§†=,¨ ¨,=†§@#@##
###@#@†=,¨ ¨,=†@#@###
#@#§§==,,¨ ¨,,==§§#@#